Motor dropper



Oct. 13, 1953 G. E HANSCHE 2,655,105

MOTOR DROPPER Filed Aug. l, 1952 lll/11111111',

F/G. l.

INVENI OR GEORGE E.. HA/vsoHE Y @Zim/' ToRNEYs Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PTENT OF F ICE M'R DROPPR Acreeme n. neiisthe, Albuquerque, 2N.

signor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application August 1, 1952, Serial No. 302,208

B Claims.

This invention 'relates to an improved rocket missile of the of 'rotating type.

a rocket missiie or projectile of 'the 'spinning or rotating type generally consists of two secl-I t'ions, that is, 'a warhead section and a rocket motor section. "The impulse from the rocket motor section v`'propels 'the 'its 'pipellant is completely consumed, after which the projectile warhead section continues along its trajectory by momentum. Due to the 'fact 'that the rocket ni'o'txr section may interfere with properoperation nof the projectile warhead section, because o'f after-burning'which leaves -ionicing gases and flame, and because Vof mechanical disturbances to the ying system which prevent the fuze mechanism from functioning prope'rly, it has been found desirable for best operat-4 ing conditions to release "the 'rocket motor section from the projectile warhead section after the propellant has been fully bln-ned or consuined.

It is one of the objects of the presentinvehtion to 'provide improved means for effecting the separation of the rocket motor section vfrom the missilewarhead section after the propellant the rocket motor section has been consumed.

Still another object of this invention is to provide means for releasing th'e motor section of a rocket projectile which will be efcieht and 'reliable in operation.

Other objects and 'many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same'becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and which:

1 is an laxial section 'f a rocket niss'ile oi' the spinning or rotating type, showing the .releasingmeans according to the invention; and Fig. 2 is a cross section on the' line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In accordance with the invention, Y'means are .provided for eiectng the separation of the rocket motor section from the projectileproper after the propellant has been consumed, for that type of aerial missile designed to spin or rotate in flight. This is accomplished by means of a releasabl'e couplingwhich is provided between the r'notor section 'and the projectile warhead section of the aerial missile. This coupling includes cooperating shoulders on the motor and projectile sections, balls arranged to engage the cooper` ating shoulders, a tapered cup surrounding the balls and holding thm in engagement, and a plunger on the which is acted on by the pressure "from the rocket propeiiant to hold Vthe cup in engagement with the heus.

A spring is also provided foi moving the cup away from the hails upon reduction of pressure on :the plunger. lDetents 'are provided to 'prevent action of the spring 'prior to the iiiing f the rocket missile. These detente` are (freed by the action o'i the gas pressure on the puihgei, and they are disengaged by the action of the een-5 t-ifgal orc'e set up by the rotation or spin t the missile during its, 'course of night. After the rocket propellant has been consumed, the gas pressure en -the lplunger decreases uhtii lit isovercome by the pressure due 'to the When this occurs, the cu'p is forced clear of the balls, thereby permitting them to be thrown clear of the cooperating shoulders by centrifugal force to unlock the coupling means and'ths sep; arate the rocket motor section rom the *lr'iissile warhead section.

Referring now u) the figures of the drawing. there is 'shown an aerial missile IU of the rocket spinning or rotating type which consists generally 'of a rocket motor section i? and a warf head section I H. The rear end |6 of 'warhead section il! is of reduced-diameter and is threaded es indicated at is. A fitting 2o of houow shape screwed onto the 'reduced end i'B of warhead section I t. Fitting '2b metes with e, cupe-'shaped n ttiugz which is screwed, by threads 21:,ihto the` internally threaded forward end 2e o'f the cket i'n'otoi'j section '12.

A disk is is screwed ihto the threededpoi-tion et o r a eupesheped cavity a2 in the motor h'tt'ihg 2'2 for e sufueieht distance 'to eiser the epd oi the warhead fitting- 20. A t'ube '3B having a radial anle 3B 'is secured in 'a central bore '38 in the warhead nttihg in and projects through an asiel opening #s ih the disk 2s.

steei'baus' t2 aye forced radially inward ege-inst the tuhe 3H and between its shoulder` tt and the disk 28 by thecamming action of the inclined inner wall 35 'of 'a 'cup i8 carried on a threaded plug' 50 extending through a tapered axial b'r 52 the motor fitting 22. Detehts 54 are ih'- se'rted in apertures or ker'fs' in theplug 50 to prevent backward ni'ovement of the plug Si) and c ip Vdue to the pressure 'of a spring 52! 'enclsed in the tube '34 and bearing against the refereed ehu et o'f the plug. Se and against a disk 62 closing the forward end GB of tube 34.

Beus ai look the two sections 12 and il toother aiiaihs't the separating eiieet of the spring 5t by reason of' their 'being placed between the disk it and the fediai danse et rof' the tute 3a.

At the same time, the detents 54 are prevented froml dropping out of the apertures in the plug 50 because they are forced against the forward wall of the motor fitting 22 by spring 58.

Having described the invention, the operation thereof will now be explained briefly. After the aerial missile IIJ has been launched and is in free iiight, the gas pressure in the rocket motor section I2 acts against the rear end 68 of the plug 50 and forces it slightly forward, causing it to seat in the tapered wall 52 in the motor tting 22, and simultaneously releases the detents 54, so that they can be dislodged by centrifugal force set up by the spinning or rotating of the aerial missile I0.

At the end of the burning period of the propellant in the rocket section I2, the gas pressure decreases to a value at which the spring 58 can force the plug 50 and cup 48 rearwardly to release the balls 42, which are then thrown radially outward due to centrifugal force caused by the spinning projectile I0, and thus unlock the disk 28 and the tube 34. The rearward motion of the plug 50 and the cup 48 pushes the plug -50 from the tapered wall 52 of the motor tting 22, admitting gas pressure to the cavity 32 between fitting 22 and the projectile fitting 20 to force the projectile section I4 and the rocket motor section I2 apart. The projectile or warhead section I4 will then continue along its trajectory or course of flight and motor section I2 will drop earthwardly.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a pair of separable bodies having cooperating shoulders, a releasable coupling arrangement including means engaging said shoulders, a tapered ring normally retaining said engaging means in engagement with said shoulders, a source of pressure in one of said separable bodies, pressure-operated means retaining said tapered ring in engagement with said engaging means, locking means for said pressure.L operated means, and a spring for moving said tapered ring out of engagement with said engaging means, said tapered ring being displaced by said spring upon reduction of the gas pressure below that of the spring pressure to permit release of said engaging means and separation of said shoulders, whereby said separable bodies will be permitted to separate.

2. In combination with a pair of separable bodies having cooperating shoulders, a releasable coupling arrangement including a plurality of balls engaging said shoulders, a tapered ring normally retaining said balls in engagement with said shoulders, a source of pressure in one of said separable bodies, pressure-operated means retaining said tapered ring in engagement with said balls, locking means for said pressureoperated means, and a spring for moving said tapered ring out of engagement with said balls, said tapered ring being displaced by said spring to permit release of said balls and separation of said shoulders, whereby said separable bodies will be permitted to separate.

3. In a spinning aerial missile consisting of two separable sections, a source of pressure in one of said sections, a releasable coupling arrangement between said sections including cooperating shoulders on said sections, means engaging said cooperating shoulders, a tapered cup surrounding said engaging means for holding said engaging means in engagement with said shoulders, said cup being arranged to be acted upon by said pressure from said pressure source, a spring for moving said cup away from said engaging means upon reduction of pressure, and detents engaging said cup to prevent action of said spring prior to the rst application of said pressure, as during the assembly and transportation of the missile, said detents being disengaged by application of pressure on the cup in combination with the action of the centrifugal force set up by the spin of the missile in flight.

4. In a spinning aerial missile consisting of two separable sections, a source of pressure in one of said sections, a releasable coupling arrangement between said sections including cooperating shoulders on said sections, balls engaging said cooperating shoulders, a tapered cup surrounding said balls and holding said balls in engagement with said shoulders, said cup being arranged to be acted upon by said pressure source, a spring for moving said cup away from said balls upon reduction of pressure, and detents engaging said cup t'o prevent action of said spring prior to the first application of said pressure, as during the assembly and transportation of the missile, said detents being disengaged by application of pressure on the cup in combination with the action of the centrifugal force set up by the spin of the missile in ght.

5. In a spinning, rocket-propelled aerial missile consisting of two separable sections, a re leasa'ole coupling arrangement for said sections including cooperating shoulders on said sections, balls engaging said cooperating shoulders, a tapered cup surrounding said balls and holding them in engagement, a plunger on said cup and arranged to be acted on by gas pressure of the missile propellant to hold said cup in engagement with said balls, a spring for moving said cup away from said balls upon reduction of the gas pressure on said plunger, detents engaging said plunger to prevent action of said spring prior to the ring of said missile, as during the assembly and transportation of said aerial missile, said detents being freed by action of the gas pressure on said plunger and disengaged by action of the centrifugal force set up by the spin of said aerial missile in flight; whereby when said propellant of said aerial missile is consumed during ight, the gas pressure on said plunger drops until overcome by the spring pressure, which forces the cup clear of said balls, thereby permitting them to be thrown clear of the cooperating shoulders by centrifugal force to unlock said coupling and thus separating said separable sections of said aerial missile.

6. In a spinning, rocket-propelled aerial mis.

sile consisting of a projectile or warhead section and a rocket motor section, said sections being separable from each other, a releasable coupling arrangement between said sections including cooperating shoulders on said sections, balls engaging said cooperating shoulders, a tapered cup surrounding said balls and holding them in engagement, an axial bore in the forward end of said motor section, a headed plunger on said cup acted on by gas pressure of the rocket propellant to hold said cup in engagement with said balls and seat said cup in said axial bore, a spring for moving said cup away from said balls upon reduction of the gas pressure on said plunger, detents engaging said plunger to prevent action of said spring prior to the ring of said rocket, as during the assembly and transportation of said missile, said detents being freed by action of the gas pressure on said plunger and disengaged by action of the centrifugal force set up by the spin of said missile in ight; whereby when the rocket propellant is consumed, the gas pressure on said plunger drops until overcome by the spring pressure, which unseats said plunger and forces said cup clear of said balls, thereby permitting them to be thrown clear of said cooperating shoulders by centrifugal force 6 to unlock said coupling and simultaneously admitting gas under pressure to the chamber surrounding said locking means forcibly to separate said motor and projectile sections.

GEORGE E. HANSCHE.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,145,507 Denoix Jan. 31, 1939 2,435,444 Johnsen Feb. 3, 1948 

